Cooling device of semiconductor laser

Abstract

The utility model provides a cooling device of a semiconductor laser, which comprises a cooling shell, the semiconductor laser is placed on the upper surface of the cooling shell, heat generated by working of the semiconductor laser is transmitted to the cooling shell through the upper surface of the cooling shell, the upper surface of the cooling shell is provided with a groove, and the groove is filled with cooling water. Cooling water is used for heat conduction between the semiconductor laser and the cooling shell. The cooling water is used for replacing graphite in the prior art to fill the gap between the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the cooling shell, the operation is simple, the heat dissipation efficiency is high, no special requirement for the flatness of the semiconductor laser, the filling material and the cooling shell exists, the semiconductor laser and the cooling shell do not need to be installed and fixed, and the cost is low. And the problem of material waste caused by continuous replacement due to the fact that graphite flakes are easy to damage in use is thoroughly avoided.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202410758313.7, filed on June 13, 2024, entitled “A Cooling Device for a Semiconductor Laser”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor laser technology, and more specifically, to a cooling device for a semiconductor laser. Background Technology

[0004] Semiconductor lasers undergo aging tests before leaving the factory. During these tests, multiple semiconductor lasers are placed on the upper surface of a cooling housing. The heat generated by the lasers is transferred to the cooling housing, which then cools the lasers. To reduce the thermal resistance between the lasers and the upper surface of the cooling housing during this heat transfer process, current technology typically places a graphite sheet between the lower surface of the laser and the upper surface of the cooling housing. Figure 1 As shown, graphite sheets 3 are used to fill the gap between the semiconductor laser 2 and the cooling housing 1 to ensure that the two can make full contact. The heat generated by the semiconductor laser 2 can be transferred to the cooling housing 1 for processing as much as possible, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser 2.

[0005] However, using graphite sheets to fill the gap between the semiconductor laser and the cooling housing has several disadvantages: (1) In order to achieve full contact between the lower surface of the semiconductor laser, the graphite sheet, and the upper surface of the cooling housing, the flatness matching between the three is required to be extremely high; otherwise, full contact between the three cannot be achieved. (2) Graphite needs to be fixedly installed on the lower surface of the semiconductor and the upper surface of the cooling housing with tools to achieve full contact between the three, which also requires extremely high precision in operation. (3) Graphite sheets are extremely easy to wear due to their thinness. Generally, they need to be replaced after five or more uses. Otherwise, the damage to the graphite sheets will affect their ability to transfer the heat generated by the semiconductor laser to the cooling housing. Frequent replacement of graphite sheets will first increase the cost, and secondly, each replacement requires the graphite sheet to be flatly installed and fixed between the lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the cooling housing. The operation requires high precision and the operation frequency is also high, making the operation extremely inconvenient during use. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a cooling device for a semiconductor laser, the specific technical solution of which is as follows.

[0007] A cooling device for a semiconductor laser, the cooling device comprising a cooling housing, the semiconductor laser being placed on an upper surface of the cooling housing, heat generated by the semiconductor laser being transferred to the cooling housing through the upper surface of the cooling housing, the upper surface of the cooling housing having a groove, the groove being filled with cooling water, the cooling water being used for heat conduction between the semiconductor laser and the cooling housing.

[0008] Preferably, the cooling device comprises a controller, the groove of the cooling housing comprises an automatic water inlet and an automatic water outlet, the controller and the automatic water inlet and the automatic water outlet being electrically connected, the controller controlling the cooling water to flow into the groove from the automatic water inlet or to flow out of the groove from the automatic water outlet.

[0009] Preferably, the groove of the cooling housing is provided with a highest liquid level detector and a lowest liquid level detector, the highest liquid level detector and the lowest liquid level detector being electrically connected to the controller; when the water level in the groove exceeds the liquid level of the highest liquid level detector, the highest liquid level detector sends a signal of too high water level to the controller, the controller controls the automatic water outlet to open, and the cooling water in the groove flows out of the automatic water outlet; when the water level in the groove is lower than the liquid level of the lowest liquid level detector, the lowest liquid level detector sends a signal of too low water level to the controller, the controller controls the automatic water inlet to open, and the cooling water flows into the groove of the cooling housing from the automatic water inlet.

[0010] Preferably, the highest liquid level detector is located 3mm above the bottom surface of the groove, and the lowest liquid level detector is located 2mm above the bottom surface of the groove.

[0011] Preferably, the cooling device further comprises a cooling water inlet, a cooling tank and a water storage tank, the cooling water inlet being connected to the automatic water inlet, the cooling water flowing into the groove of the cooling housing through the cooling water inlet and the automatic water inlet, the water storage tank being connected to the automatic water outlet, and a cooling tank being arranged between the water storage tank and the cooling water inlet, the cooling water flowing out of the groove flowing into the cooling tank through the water storage tank for cooling, and then flowing into the groove again through the cooling water inlet.

[0012] Preferably, the temperature of the cooling water is restored to 19-23℃ after the cooling water passes through the cooling tank.

[0013] Preferably, a pressure regulating valve is arranged between the cooling water inlet and the automatic water inlet, for reducing the flow rate of the cooling water.

[0014] Preferably, a water pump is arranged between the water storage tank and the cooling tank, for pumping the cooling water stored in the water storage tank into the cooling tank.

[0015] Preferably, the cooling device further comprises an anti-evaporation cover, the anti-evaporation cover being placed on the groove.

[0016] Preferably, the middle of the anti-evaporation cover gradually slopes downward to both ends.

[0017] Preferably, the cooling device further comprises an electrode waterproof structure, the electrode waterproof structure comprises an insulating sleeve, an electrode adding member and an O-shaped sealing ring, the electrode adding member is sleeved on the periphery of the electrode of the semiconductor laser, one end of the electrode adding member is electrically connected with the electrode, and the other end is electrically connected with a wire; the insulating sleeve is sleeved on the periphery of the electrode adding member, and the O-shaped sealing ring is arranged at one end inside the insulating sleeve and in contact with the electrode to seal the electrode.

[0018] The cooling device for the semiconductor laser provided by the application has the following technical effects:

[0019] (1) The cooling device for the semiconductor laser provided by the application has a cooling shell, the upper surface of the cooling shell is made into a groove shape, the semiconductor laser is placed in the groove, and water is used to fill the gap between the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the cooling shell in the groove, water is used as a thermal interface material to replace the graphite sheet in the prior art to play a role in heat transfer, the gap between the semiconductor laser and the cooling shell can be better filled, and compared with graphite filling, the following advantages are achieved:

[0020] A) Water filling only needs to spread a layer of water with a relatively thin thickness in the groove of the cooling device, because of the fluidity of water, the water can naturally flow to the gap position between the surface of the groove and the lower surface of the semiconductor laser to fill the gap; compared with graphite filling, there is no special requirement for the flatness of the semiconductor laser, the filling material and the cooling device;

[0021] B) The semiconductor laser is placed in the groove filled with water, the semiconductor laser, the cooling shell and the water filled therebetween do not need to be fixed, compared with the graphite sheet which needs to be fixed, the operation is simple and convenient, and it is suitable for semiconductor lasers of any shape, without the need to customize graphite sheets and fixing tools matching the shapes of the semiconductor lasers to install and fix the graphite sheets and the semiconductor lasers and the cooling shell to achieve the effect of heat transfer;

[0022] C) Water filling avoids the problem of easy wear of graphite sheet filling, and can reduce the waste of graphite sheet.

[0023] (2) Further, the cooling water used by the present application can flow naturally to the gap between the lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the groove surface, and at the gap position, the lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the groove are well adhered, so the filling water at the gap position can exist stably without flowing; since the thermal conductivity of water changes with temperature, below 100℃, the higher the water temperature, the higher the thermal conductivity of water, so as the semiconductor laser continuously works and generates heat, the filling water between the two absorbs heat and the temperature becomes higher, the thermal conductivity becomes higher, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser is also higher.

[0024] (3) To further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser, the present application divides the water in the cooling shell groove into two parts, in addition to the filling water between the lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the groove which does not flow, the water between the side surfaces of the semiconductor laser in the groove is set to flow, and the heat generated by the side surfaces of the semiconductor laser is continuously taken away by the flow of water, combined with the water temperature control of the side water, further improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser.

[0025] (4) Further, since the semiconductor laser is placed in the water in the cooling shell groove to work, in order to avoid the influence of water on the normal electrical connection of the semiconductor laser, the present application provides the following solutions:

[0026] A) Set the liquid level instrument, on the one hand, to ensure the minimum water level in the cooling shell groove, so as not to affect the heat dissipation, on the other hand, to alarm the dangerous water level, to automatically adjust the water level in the groove, to prevent the water level in the groove from being too high to submerge the electrode;

[0027] B) The present application also provides an electrode waterproof structure for the semiconductor laser to protect the electrode;

[0028] C) The present application also controls the temperature of the side water to avoid the water temperature being too low to condense into dew and adhere to the outer surface of the cooling shell, affecting the normal electrical connection state of the laser. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application, therefore should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope, for those skilled in the art, without paying creative labor, other related drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 Structure diagram for filling the gap between the semiconductor laser and the cooling device with graphite sheet for the prior art;

[0031] Figure 2 Structure diagram for filling the gap between the semiconductor laser and the cooling device with cooling water for the embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 Water inlet and outlet structure diagram of the cooling device for the embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 4 Control diagram between the liquid level detector, the controller and the automatic water inlet and the automatic water outlet for the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 5 Electrode waterproof structure diagram for the embodiment of the present application.

[0035] In the figure, 1. Cooling housing, 2. Semiconductor laser, 3. Graphite sheet, 4. Fixing screw, 5. Anti-evaporation cover, 6. Automatic water inlet, 7. Automatic water outlet, 8. Liquid level detector, 9. Groove, 10. Water storage tank, 11. Water pump, 12. Pressure regulating valve, 13. First three-way joint, 14. Cooling water inlet, 15. Cooling water outlet, 16. Controller, 17. Housing insulator, 18. Electrode, 19. O-ring, 20. Insulating sleeve, 21. Electrode, 22. Electrode waterproof structure, 23. Second three-way joint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The embodiment of the present application provides a cooling device for a semiconductor laser, which comprises a cooling housing 1, as shown in Figure 2 , Figure 3 The semiconductor laser 2 is placed on the upper surface of the cooling housing 1, the heat generated by the operation of the semiconductor laser 2 is transmitted to the cooling housing 1 through the upper surface of the cooling housing 1, the upper surface of the cooling housing 1 is provided with a groove 9, and the groove 9 is filled with cooling water, which is used for heat conduction between the semiconductor laser 2 and the cooling housing 1.

[0038] The method for aging test cooling of the semiconductor laser 2 using the cooling device of the embodiment is as follows: a proper amount of cooling water is injected into the groove 9 of the cooling housing 1, and the semiconductor laser 2 is placed, because of the fluidity of the water, the water can naturally flow to the gap position between the upper surface of the groove and the lower surface of the semiconductor laser, and fill the gap. Around the gap position, the lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the groove are directly well adhered, so that the filled water at the gap position can stably exist without flowing.

[0039] Further, to improve the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor laser 2, the cooling water stored in the groove is divided into two parts, one part is the filling water filled between the semiconductor laser 2 and the upper surface of the cooling housing 1, and the other part is the side water located between the side surfaces of the semiconductor laser 2, and the side water is further arranged to be flowable.

[0040] For the filling water, since the thermal conductivity of water changes with temperature, below 100℃, the higher the water temperature, the higher the thermal conductivity of water, therefore in this embodiment, water is used to fill the gap between the lower surface of the semiconductor laser 2 and the groove 9 of the cooling housing 1, as the semiconductor laser 2 continuously works and generates heat, the filling water between the two absorbs heat and the temperature becomes higher, the thermal conductivity becomes higher, the efficiency of the filling water transferring the heat generated by the semiconductor laser 2 becomes higher, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser 2 also becomes higher.

[0041] Through the flow of the side water, the heat generated by the semiconductor laser 2 on the side is continuously taken away by the flow of the water, combined with the water temperature control of the side water, the heat dissipation efficiency of the semiconductor laser 2 is further improved.

[0042] Therefore, the cooling device 1 further comprises a controller 16, the groove 9 of the cooling housing 1 comprises an automatic water inlet 6 and an automatic water outlet 7, the controller 16 and the automatic water inlet 6, the automatic water outlet 7 are electrically connected, and the controller 16 controls the cooling water to enter the groove 9 of the cooling housing 1 from the automatic water inlet 6 or flow out of the groove 9 from the automatic water outlet 7.

[0043] Further, the groove 9 is provided with a liquid level detector 8, the liquid level detector 8 comprises a highest liquid level detector and a lowest liquid level detector, the highest liquid level detector and the lowest liquid level detector are electrically connected with the controller 16 of the cooling device 1; when the water level in the groove 9 exceeds the liquid level of the highest liquid level detector, the highest liquid level detector sends a water level too high signal to the controller 16, and the controller 16 controls the automatic water outlet 7 to open, and the cooling water in the groove 9 flows out from the automatic water outlet 7; when the water level in the groove 9 is lower than the liquid level of the lowest liquid level detector, the lowest liquid level detector sends a water level too low signal to the controller 16, and the controller 16 controls the automatic water inlet 6 to open, and the cooling water flows into the groove 9 of the cooling device 1 from the automatic water inlet 6.

[0044] Preferably, the highest liquid level detector is located at 3mm above the bottom surface of the groove 9, and the lowest liquid level detector is located at 2mm above the bottom surface of the groove 9.

[0045] Further, the cooling device further comprises a cooling water inlet 14, a cooling tank (not shown in the figure) and a water storage tank 10. The cooling water inlet 14 is connected with the automatic water inlet 6, the cooling water flows into the groove 9 through the cooling water inlet 14 and the automatic water inlet 6, the water storage tank 10 is connected with the automatic water outlet 7, the cooling water flows out of the automatic water outlet 7 and is temporarily stored in the water storage tank 10, and the cooling tank is arranged between the water storage tank 10 and the cooling water inlet 14. The cooling water flowing out of the groove 9 flows into the cooling tank through the water storage tank 10, is cooled in the cooling tank, and then enters the groove 9 again through the cooling water inlet 14.

[0046] Preferably, the temperature of the cooling water is restored to 19-23℃ after passing through the cooling tank. Since the side water can contact the side surface of the semiconductor laser 2 at a certain height in the groove 9, if the temperature of the side water is too high, the heat that can be absorbed by the side water from the semiconductor laser 2 is limited, which is not conducive to heat dissipation of the semiconductor laser 2; if the temperature of the side water is too low, the side water is likely to condense into dew and adhere to the surface of the shell during contact with the shell of the semiconductor laser 2, which affects the normal electrical connection state of the semiconductor laser 2.

[0047] Preferably, a pressure regulating valve 12 is arranged between the cooling water inlet 14 and the automatic water inlet 6, which is used to reduce the flow rate of the cooling water, so as to avoid that the cooling water with too high flow rate fills the groove 9 of the cooling shell 1 in a short time, causes the highest liquid level detector to alarm, and quickly floods the electrode of the semiconductor laser 2.

[0048] Preferably, a water pump 11 is arranged between the water storage tank 10 and the cooling tank, which is used to pump the cooling water temporarily stored in the water storage tank 10 into the cooling tank.

[0049] Preferably, the cooling device further comprises an anti-evaporation cover 5, which is placed in the upper part of the groove 9. Further, the two sides of the anti-evaporation cover 5 can be arranged in a slope shape, which gradually inclines downward from the middle to the two ends of the anti-evaporation cover 5. When water vapor meets the anti-evaporation cover 5 upward and recondenses into water, the condensed water droplets first slide to the two sides along the slope, and finally drip downward into the inside of the groove 9 at the positions of the two sides of the slope, avoiding directly dripping downward on the shell or electrode of the semiconductor laser 2, which affects the electrical connection of the semiconductor laser 2.

[0050] Preferably, the interior of the cooling shell 1 can be a water cooling structure, i.e. the heat generated by the operation of the semiconductor laser 2 is transferred to the cooling shell 1 through the water in the groove 9, and the heat is absorbed by the water cooling structure in the interior of the cooling shell 1 to dissipate. For this purpose, the cooling device of the present embodiment can further comprise a cooling water outlet 15, and the cooling water is divided into two parts by the first three-way joint 13 through the cooling water inlet 14, one part enters the interior of the groove 9 from the automatic water inlet 6, and the other part enters the water cooling structure in the interior of the cooling shell 1, and then flows to the cooling water outlet 15 through the second three-way joint 23, and then is cooled by the cooling tank. The cooling water in the groove 9 flows into the water storage tank 10 through the automatic water outlet 7, and then is pumped by the water pump 11 to flow through the cooling water outlet 15 by the second three-way joint 23, and finally enters the cooling tank for cooling.

[0051] Further, the present embodiment further provides an electrode waterproof structure 22 suitable for the semiconductor laser 2, as shown in the accompanying drawings Figure 5 As shown, the electrode waterproof structure 22 comprises an insulating sleeve 20, an electrode 21 and an O-ring 19, the electrode 21 is sleeved around the electrode 18 of the semiconductor laser 2, and one end is electrically connected with the electrode 18, and the other end is electrically connected with a wire (not shown in the figure), and the insulating sleeve 20 is sleeved around the electrode 18, for waterproof protection of the electrode 18 and the electrode 21. The electrode waterproof structure 22 is further provided with an O-ring 19 at the end in contact with the electrode 18 of the semiconductor laser 2, for further sealing the electrode 18 to prevent water vapor from contacting the electrode 18. In addition, the shell insulator 17 is further provided on the shell of the semiconductor laser 2, and the shell insulator 17 is arranged around the electrode 18 to prevent the influence of water vapor.

[0052] Finally, it should be pointed out that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement to part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A cooling device for a semiconductor laser, said cooling device comprising a cooling housing, said semiconductor laser being placed on an upper surface of said cooling housing, heat generated by operation of the semiconductor laser being transferred to the cooling housing through the upper surface of the cooling housing, characterized in that, The upper surface of the cooling shell has a groove, and the groove is filled with cooling water which is used for heat conduction between the semiconductor laser and the cooling shell. The lower surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the groove are directly and well attached. The cooling water in the groove includes two parts, one part is filling water which is used for filling the gap between the bottom surface of the semiconductor laser and the upper surface of the cooling shell, and the filling water is used for heat conduction between the semiconductor laser and the cooling shell. The other part is located between the side surface of the semiconductor laser and the groove and can flow. The higher the temperature of the filling water is, the higher the thermal conductivity is.

2. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1, wherein The cooling device includes a controller which is electrically connected with the automatic water inlet and the automatic water outlet, and the controller controls the cooling water to flow into the groove from the automatic water inlet or to flow out of the groove from the automatic water outlet.

3. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, wherein The groove of the cooling shell is provided with a highest liquid level detector and a lowest liquid level detector, and the highest liquid level detector and the lowest liquid level detector are electrically connected with the controller.

4. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1, wherein The highest liquid level detector is located at 3mm above the bottom surface of the groove, and the lowest liquid level detector is located at 2mm above the bottom surface of the groove.

5. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 4, wherein The cooling device further includes a cooling water inlet, a cooling tank and a water storage tank.

6. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 4, wherein The cooling water inlet is connected with the automatic water inlet, and the cooling water flows into the groove of the cooling shell through the cooling water inlet and the automatic water inlet.

7. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1, wherein The water storage tank is connected with the automatic water outlet, and the cooling tank is arranged between the water storage tank and the cooling water inlet.

8. The cooling device for a semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1, wherein A pressure regulating valve is arranged between the cooling water inlet and the automatic water inlet, and is used for reducing the flow rate of the cooling water. A water pump is arranged between the water storage tank and the cooling tank, and is used for pumping the cooling water stored in the water storage tank into the cooling tank. The cooling device further includes an anti-evaporation cover which is placed on the groove and gradually inclines downward from the middle to the two ends. The cooling device further includes an electrode waterproof structure which includes an insulating sleeve, an electrode and an O-shaped sealing ring. The electrode is sleeved on the periphery of the electrode of the semiconductor laser, one end of the electrode is electrically connected with the electrode, and the other end is electrically connected with a wire. The insulating sleeve is sleeved on the periphery of the electrode, and the O-shaped sealing ring is arranged at the end inside the insulating sleeve which contacts the electrode and seals the electrode.

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